In 1956, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) awarded Tung-Yen Lin the Wellington Prize.

In 1966, Lin received the Howard Gold Medal from the ASCE.

In 1967, Lin became the first Asian to be elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) in the United States.

In 1969, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) officially renamed its Prestressed Concrete Award as the Tung-Yen Lin Award.

In 1972, Lin was elected as a member of the Academia Sinica in Taiwan, China.

In 1974, he was awarded the Freyssinet Medal by the International Federation for Prestressing (FIP).

In 1976, upon retiring from the University of California, Berkeley, he received the university's highest honor, the Berkeley Citation, and was named Professor Emeritus. Following this, UC Berkeley established the Tung-Yen Lin Memorial Hall as a permanent tribute to him.

In 1976, UC Berkeley held a special symposium titled "The Past, Present, and Future of Prestressed Concrete" in honor of his role as Professor Emeritus. He was respectfully referred to as "Mr. Prestressed Concrete".

In 1986, President Ronald Reagan presented him with the National Medal of Science at the White House. The citation on the award read: "He is an engineer, teacher, and author. His scientific analysis, technical innovations, and imaginative designs have not only bridged the gap between science and art but also broken down barriers between technology and society."

In 1987, Lin was awarded the Distinguished Achievement Award by the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC), which recognized him as "a pioneer in the engineering field, whose visionary designs are not only innovative and aesthetically beautiful but also create an international legacy that benefits all humanity and brings honor to the engineering profession."

In 1994, he received the Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of California, Berkeley, an honor given annually to one alumnus.

In 1996, Lin was elected as a foreign academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

In 1999, he was named one of the "125 Most Outstanding Engineers of the Past 125 Years" by the renowned engineering magazine Engineering News-Record (ENR).

In 2001, he was honored with the HJ Brunnier Lifetime Achievement Award from the California Society of Professional Engineers.